Automatic cylinder-cock



C. R. NORDBEHG AND W. F. KOON.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER COCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAYH, 1920.

1,394,337. Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

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W s m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL RICHARD NORDBERG, OF ALTOONA, AND WILLIAM FILLMORE KOON, OF DUN CANVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER-COCK.

Application filed May 17,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CARL R. Nonnnnno and W'ILLIAM F. KooN, citizens of the United States, residing at Altoona and Duncanville, respectively, in the county of Blair, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cylinder-Cocks, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in cocks which are attached to the cylinders of steam engines or the like for the purpose of draining from the cylinoers water of condensation.

An object of the invention is to provide a cylinder cock wherein the valve controlling the same is automatically operated so that said valve may be normally maintained in open position to permit water of condensation to drain therefrom, and wherein said valve is automatically closed when steam comes into direct contact therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide manually operated means for forcing the valve open at any time.

These and other objectsv will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing an engine cylinder having our improved automatic cylinder cock applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through the cylinder cock; and i Fig. '3 is a similar view but showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

The invention is directed broadly to an automatic cylinder cock which is adapted to be attached to the engine cylinder at suitable places thereon for draining the water of condensation from the cylinder. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, three automatic cocks are applied to the engine cylinder. These are similar in construction, and the invention, therefore, will be described with reference to a single automatic cylinder cock.

This cylinder cock consists of a casing which is threaded into the cylinder, said casing being preferably made in two parts Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 381,991.

so as to facilitate the insertion of the valve and to give ready access thereto. WVithin,

the inner part and the inner wall of the casmg. The lower part of the casing is pro vided with a port leading to the atmosphere, and a valve seat which surrounds said port. A valve cooperating with said seat slides in said inner part, and said valve is provided with a projecting ledge located well above the lower edge of the depending flan e of said inner part. A spring normally holds said valve raised and the port leading to the atmosphere opened so that water of condensation draining from the cylinder to the ports above referred to passes into said casing and out through the opening in the lower part of the casing to the atmosphere. As soon as all the water is drained from the cylinder, then steam passing through said ports will be directed by the cooperative action of the depending flange and certain recesses formed in the casing so as to impinge upon the projecting ledge on the valve and force the valve against the action of the spring onto its seat and thus close the cock. While the valve is closed by contact, it will be held closed after the chamber in and about the valve fills with steam by the steam pressure, inasmuch as the area of the valve subjected to the downward pressure of the steam is larger than the area of the valve subjected to the lift ing action of the steam.

The invention will possibly be made more clear by a detailed reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, we have shown diagrammatically an engine cylinder 1 which is provided with three au-.

tomatic cocks lettered 2, each of which embodies our improvements. Each cock consists of a casing formed with an upper section 3 and a lower section 4. The upper section is internally threaded to receive a projecting internal part 5 on the lower section. Projecting downwardly and within the upper part of the casing 3 is an inner part 6 which has a depending cylindrical sleeve 7. The projecting part 5 of the lower section a is formed with an annular groove 8 into which the extreme lower edge of the depending flange extends. Said groove,

however, is so proportioned as to leave a passageway 9 through which water and steam pass as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The lower section 4: of the casing is formed with an opening 10 which leads to the atmos phere. Adjacent the upper edge of this opening and surrounding the same is a valve seat 11. Directly above the valve seat 11' is a valve 12. The inner part 6 is formed with a cylindrical recess '13 in which the valve 12 freely slides This recess is of slightly larger diameter than the extreme outer diameter of the valve portion sliding therein so that steam freely passes into said recess and exerts a pressure against the extreme top of the valve The inner part 6 is also provided with a depending flange 14-,

and between this flange and the sleeve 7 is an annular recess 15, the upper wall of which is curved in cross section. The valve 12 is formed with an inner recess 16. A springl? extends into this recess and bears against the upper end of the valve. This spring at its lower end abuts against a seat on the section 5.

It will be noted that. the spring operates in a direction opposite the direction of the force of gravity acting upon the valve, and said spring isof sufficient tension to normally hold the valve away from its seat so that water of condensation will pass into the opening 20 at the upper end of the casing forming the automatic cock, then down through the ports 21, and into an outer chamber 22 between the inner wall of the casing and the depending sleeve 7 of the inner part 6. From this chamber the water passes through the passageway 9, then into the inner chamber, and thence out through the opening 10; From the aboveit will be apparent that this cylindrical sleeve 7 divides the easing into an inner chamber and an outer chamber. These inner and outer chambers are connected solely by the passageway 9, so that all the water and steam passing to the inner chamber must go through this passageway 9. Furthermore, the valve is completely housed within the inner chamber and not accessible to steam pressure except as the steam passes through this passageway9 to this inner chamber.

The valve opening, when the valve is off from its seat, to its extreme position is larger in cross sectional area than the cross sectional area of the passage 9 and therefore water will drain from the inner chamber pressure is forcing it forward, it can only escape through this passage 9, and therefore shghtly slower or in smaller quantities than will drain through the passage opening, and as a consequence the inner chamber never becomes filled with water. Inasmuch as the valve is constantly draining, the water of condensation runs 05 as it forms and will not accumulate, but if any water does accumulate, the operation is as above stated. The valve 12 is formed with a flange 24 which projects laterally from the valve, and the upper wall of this projection inclines downwardly toward the valve body, thus forming more or less of a cone-shaped recess in the upper surface of the-projection. After the water is all drained out of the valve, the steam passing through the passage 9 will be directed, through the shape of the passage, upwardly along the inner wall of the sleeve 7 against the curved surface 15, and by said curved surface will be deflected so as to strike the upper face of the projecting flange 24:. Through the impact of them-rushing steam, the tension of the spring 17 will be overcome, and the valve will be forced downwardly until it engages the seat 11, thus closing the opening 10.

As the inner chamber of the valve fills up.

with steam, it will pass up along the valve body into the cavity within the depending flange 14 for the reason that the upper portion of the valve body is of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of said cavity within the depending flange 14. The pressure of the steam on the valve will keep the valve closed until water of condensation accumulates, shutting off the steam. The steam trapped by the water of condensation will condense in water, and the pressure being relieved from the upper face of the valve, the spring will open the valve and the water will drain out until it is all drained off, and'then the steam coming in again operates to close the valve.

From the above it will be apparent that we have provided an automatic cylinder cock wherein the valve is normally openso that water of condensation drains off as it is formed, and if for any reason it accumulates the valve will remain open until the water is all forced from the cock. As soon, however, as live steam pressure is turned on, the force of the steam impinging upon the valve will at once seat the valve and hold it seated.

If the throttlevalve should leak slightly when the throttle is closed, this slow escape of steam will have no effect upon the engine and cause the same to run away, but will pass out through the openautomatic cylinder cocks. As soon, however, as the steam reaches any appreciable pressure, then the valve will be automatically closed, but this pressure is not obtained until the throttle valve isopen for driving the engine.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, we have shown a slightly modified form of the invention, in that means is provided for manually lifting the valve when desired. "This means consists in a rod 28 which passes up through the opening 10 in the sleeve and bears against the upper end of the valve. The lower part of the casing t is formed with an opening 29 extending transversely thereof through which a slide rod 30 passes. The rod 28 bears on this slide rod 80, and said slide rod is formed with a cam recess 31. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 8, the rod 528 permits the valve to close and operate automatically, as above described. If, however, it is desired to force the valve open, if it should stick for any reason, or it it should be desired to open the valve even after the steam pressure is on, the slide rod 30 may be moved endwise and the cam recess 31 operated on the lower end of the rod 28 to raise the valve from its seatllt is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement oi the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. An automatic cylinder coclr including in combination a casing adapted to be attached to an engine cylinder, means for dividing said'casing into an inner chamber and an outer chamber and forming a passageway connecting said inner and outer chambers through which the water and steam from the cylinder passes to said inner chamber, said inner chamber having an outlet, a valve seat about said outlet, a valve located in said inner chamber and adapted to engage said valve seat, and a spring for normally holding said valve off said seat, said valve being constructed and arranged to close when the steam under pressure passes through said passageway.

2. An automatic cylinder cock including in combination a casing adapted to be at tached to an engine cylinder, means for dividing said easing into an inner chamber and an outer chamber and forming a pas sageway connecting said inner and outer chambers through which the water and steam from the cylinder passes to said in ner chamber, said inner chamber having an outlet, avalve seat about said outlet, a valve located in said inner chamber and adapted to engage said valve seat, a spring for normally holding said valve off said seat, the opening between the valve and the seat when the valve is open being slightly greater than. the passageway between the outer and inner chambers, said valve having means associated therewith whereby the steam under pressure passing through said passageway will operate to close said valve.

3. An automatic cylinder cock including in combination a casing adapted to be attached to an engine cylinder, said casing having a depending sleeve located therein and forming an inner chamber and an outer chamber, said outer chamber being connelzted to the cylinder, an opening in said casing leading to said inner chamber, a valve in said inner chamber for closing said opening, a spring for normally holding the valve open and providing free drainage of water of condensation from the cylinder, said sleeve terminating at its lower end short of the casing and forming a passageway for the water and steam from the outer chamber to the inner chamber, said valve being constructed and arranged to close when the steam under pressure passes through said passageway.

i. An automatic cylinder coclr including in combination a casing adapted to be attached to an engine cylinder, a depending sleeve spaced from the inner wall of the casing and forming an inner chamber and an outer chamber, ports connecting the cylinder with the outer chamber, said casing having a recess into which the lower edge of the sleeve extends, said sleeve being spaced from the wall or": the recess to form a passage, said casing having an opening leadino' from said inner chamber to the atmosph e, a valve in said inner chamber closing said opening, a spring for her- In; the valve, said passage bemally raisin tween the sleee and the casing being of smaller area tian the area of the opening lee ng to the atmosphere from the inner ch her when said valve is raised, said valve constructed and arranged to close when the steam under pressure passes though said passageway.

An automatic cylinder cool: including n combination a casing adapted to be atacled to an engine cylinder, a depending leeve spaced from the inner wall of the casing and forming an inner chamber and an outer chamber, ports connecting the cylinder with the outer chamber, said casing having a recess into which the lower edge of the sleeve extends, said sleeve being spaced from the wall of the recess to form a passage, said casing having an opening leading from said inner chamber to the at mosphere, valve in said inner chamber for closing said opening, a spring for normally raising the valve, said passage between the sleeve and the casing being of smallerarea than the area of the opening leading to the atmosphere from the inner chamber when said valve is raised, a projecting ledge car ried by the valve, said recess into which said sleeve extendsbeing curved to direct the steam passing therethrough upwardly along the inner wall oi the inner chamber, the upper portion of said inner chamber being curved to deflect said steam against said projection whereby the valve may be initially closed through the impinging of the steam on said projecting ledge.

6. rtn automatic cylinder cock including in combination, a casing adapted to be attached to an engine cylinder, said casing having an opening leading to the atmos phere, and a valve seat surrounding said opening, said casing havingan inner part formed with a depending sleeve spaced "from the inner wall of the casing, and extending into a recess in the valve casing but spaced from the wall of said. recess so as to form a passage of smaller area than the opening controiled by the valve whereby water drains through said opening faster than it can pass through said passage, ports connecting the engine cylinder with the chamber between l sleeve and the inner wall of the casing, said inner part having recess, a valve eX- tending into said recess and guided thereby and adapted to engage said sort for closthe opening, a spring for normally raisthe valve, a'projecting ledge on said valve shaped and disposed sothat steam under pressure passing underneath the flange and directed upwardly inside of the flange will impinge upon the upper face of said ledge and close the-valve, said recess being larger than the valve whereby steam may press upon the upper end of the valve to hold it closed.

7. An automatic cylinder cock including in combination, a casing comprising an upper section and a lower section, said sections having threaded engagement with each other, said lower section having an opening leading to the atmosphere, and a valve seat surrounding said opening, said upper section of the casing having an inner part formed with a sleeve spaced from the inner wall of the casing, and ports connecting the engine cylinder with they chamber between said sleeve and the inner wall of the casing, said inner part having a recess, a valve extending into said recess and having a loose fit therein and adapted to engage said seat for closing the opening, a spring for nor mally raising the valve, a projecting ledge on said valve shaped and disposed so that steam under pressure passing underneath the flange and directed upwardly inside of the flange will impinge upon the upper face of said ledge and close the valve, said lower part of the casing having an annular groove adapted to receive the extreme lower edge of the flange 0n the inner part, said edge being spaced from the wall of said groove so 1?; to form a passage for the steam and water beneath said ledge of the flange.

8. A cylinder cock including in combination a casing adapted to be attached to the cylinder 01": an engine, said casing having a depending sleeve dividing said casing into an inner and an outer chamber, an opening leading from the atmosphere to said inner chamber, a valve located in said inner chamber and adapted to close said opening, spring for normally holding the valve raised, said casing having openings connecting the cylinder with the outer chamber and a passageway leading from the outer chamto the inner chamber, said passageway being of smaller area than the opening to the atmosphere formed when the valve is raised, and manual means adapted to raise the valve from the seat when closed and hold the valve in raised position, said valve being constructed and arranged to close when the steam under pressure passes through said passageway.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

CARL RICHARD NORDBERG. WILLIAM FILLMORE KOON. 

